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The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great [Hardcover]

Rick Smith
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 17, 2009
Have you ever asked yourself, "Is this it?"
 
Maybe you're trapped in a dead-end job that you're afraid to leave. Or maybe you already have a good job-one that gives you room to grow and exercise your talents-but you don't really feel like you're doing your best work. Your life is plain vanilla, yet you know in your heart that you can be a triple scoop banana split. You just don't know how to make that leap.

So what do you do?

Rick Smith knows firsthand what it's like to feel stuck in a career rut. He worked in a midlevel job where he had modest success. Then his life took an unexpected turn and he found himself creating a business that became successful beyond his wildest dreams. He unlocked a level of performance he did not know he had in him. After all, Smith was just a regular guy who didn't like to take chances or even step outside his comfort zone. But as he found out, those qualities don't have to be stumbling blocks. In fact, they're two of the keys to making the leap from good to great.
 
And after talking to others who had also transformed their careers from mundane to magnificent, he realized that the secret doesn't lie with some mysterious talent, trait, or affinity for risk. And it certainly doesn't require you to quit your job and start from scratch. Rather, it lies with your ability to harness your true strengths and passions-what Smith calls your Primary Color.
 
You'll meet remarkable people who've made the leap, such as:
  • A soft-spoken middle manager who transformed her company, her industry, and her career with a simple-yet groundbreaking-idea.
  • A door-to-door fax machine saleswoman who became a global fashion mogul after developing her own line of women's apparel.
  • A Florida shrimp farmer who became a globally recognized genetics expert after both of his sons were diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.
  • A software designer who became a leading advocate for the homeless after volunteering part time at a local shelter and realizing his true calling.
 
Through powerful anecdotes, lessons from brain science, and tools for self-assessment, Smith shows how, with the right amount of passion, determination, and three simple steps, anyone can make the leap to a more successful and fulfilling life.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Smith (The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers) examines the commonalities among individuals who transcended their dull day jobs to launch truly extraordinary careers. He is most taken with identifying what precipitated their leap into authentic and meaningful work, interviewing hundreds of people to craft replicable steps that everyone can use to initiate a personal and professional evolution and achieve remarkable success without taking reckless and unnecessary risks. His examples of highly profitable leaps include Sara Blakely, who went from a fax machine sales person to the owner of SPANX, a highly successful women's clothing line; Frances Hesselbein, who went from a stay-at-home mom to the executive director of Girl Scouts of America; and Brad Margus, who channeled his feelings of futility over the rare and terminal disease his two sons inherited to become a genetics expert on the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. Smith's book—a lively readable romp—motivates without preaching and gently coaxes readers to overcome innate fears and to use their greatest passions to bring about fulfillment. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This invaluable book leads you around the common traps that so often keep us from pursuing our strengths and passions."
- Marcus Buckingham, bestselling author of Now, Discover Your Strengths "Finally, a book that kills the myth of the daredevil. This is must- read for anyone who thinks they are a breed apart from Bill Gates or other mavericks deified as risk takers. The truth? To do the impossible-whether as an entrepreneur or an employee-minimizing risk and making small bets is the rule rather than the exception."
-Timothy Ferriss, number one New York Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek

"Rick Smith goes from flat line to the front line of life and shows you how to ignite your career." - Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, author, YOU: the Owner's Manual series

"Packed with actionable insights and inspiring stories, The Leap shows how to not just improve but redefine your career. Rick Smith brilliantly lays out three simple, manageable steps that make it possible for anyone, anywhere, to take the leap and unlock their ultimate potential."
-Tony Robbins

"An inspiring book for anyone who has ever looked at his or her life andwondered: Is this it? The Leap will help you discover your true path to personal and professional success."
-Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor in chief, The Huffington Post

"Extraordinary! I understand what it feels like to leap into a bold new life. But as Rick Smith explains in this inspiring guide, achieving fulfillment in work and in life doesn't require you to jump off a cliff! The Leap captures the steps anyone can take to achieve his wildest dreams while staying true to himself. Try it out. True success is not as far away as you thought." -Sara Blakely, founder, Spanx Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (September 17, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1591842565
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591842569
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rick Smith is the bestselling author of The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great (Portfolio), and the author of the popular blog, RickSmith.me. He is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, which has been sold into 13 languages and remains one of the top-selling professional career books of all time.

Rick is the creator of the Primary Color self assessment, which has received more than 100,000 pageviews since July, 2009.

He is the founding CEO of World 50, cited as one of the world's most influential senior executive networking companies.

A leading commentator on careers and professional and personal success, Rick has been featured by more than 50 media outlets, including CNN, Time,The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Sirius Satellite Radio, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune and Chief Executive.

Rick has amassed an incredible and eclectic personal Rolodex, having worked or collaborated with dozens of world, business and cultural icons, including: Bono, Alan Greenspan, Robert Redford, Francis Ford Coppola, Magic Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Larry Bossidy, Martha Stewart, Jon Stewart, Norman Schwarzkopf, Senators Robert Dole and George Mictchell, Steven Colbert, Russell Simmons, Sir John Major and many others.

A serial entrepreneur, he is currently working on the launch of several new companies. Rick currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and three children.

Customer Reviews

This is a must read for anyone who wants to get more out of their work and their life. Judy Verses  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
The other wonderful aspect of the book is that it's fun and entertaining to read. Ivana S. Taylor  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read September 22, 2009
Format:Hardcover
I was laid off from my corporate marketing position during this economic meltdown and have been reading every business/motivational book I could get my hands on. I heard about The Leap and read it cover to cover in two days. Three days later I picked it up and read it again.

Rick Smith has a wonderful writing style that is easy to follow and understand. He writes about his background and how he made the leap to an extraordinary career as well as profiled others who did the same. I love that all the amazing people he profiled had a big idea that was simple and selfless. After reading through the book and then opening my eyes up to the world around me I realized how right on he was when he wrote that. Most of us try to make "the leap" a lot more difficult than it needs to be and oftentimes get too comfortable, expect to keep climbing the career ladder even though we don't like where we might end up of think money is the answer to all our problems. Rick's book will give you great insight about how to make your strenths and passions work for you. You may just end up happier than you ever have been before!

I highly recommen this book to anyone who is in a rut with their current job, those who are looking for a job or career transition and those who want to branch off as an entrepreneur. The Primary Colors Assessment test is really cool as well. I took the leap this year and now own my own business. Rick's book was instrumental in helping me accomplish this goal.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not as Scary as You Think! September 19, 2009
Format:Hardcover
This book gives anyone who is either moderately unsatisfied or deeply unhappy with their career a tangible course of action to take so that you may discover the career that you've always hoped you might find; one that makes you fulfilled and satisfied.

It gives you the tools to find out how to create a job so satisfying that you will jump out of your bed in the morning excited to do it! Rick Smith's clear and accessible exercises and assessment show you a strategy to find the path that fits your natural gifts/talents.

In spite of the title The Leap shows us that the majority of those we think of as very successful weren't crazy dare devils that leaped head first without thinking, in fact quite the opposite. The book also provides a link to a free assessment test that is 27 questions long yet very revealing.

My primary color is Blue Velvet, which means Incredible Inspiration. I'm right at the top of the Leadership line but with a 0% enjoyment of execution; yep that's me. My passion is to inspire others to execute. And after reading this I will finally accept that I will never enjoy the more left brain tasks and try to outsource them even more than I do. The books exercises along with your primary color move you right along at getting clear on how to determine the next step which will be using this measuring stick; Is it "Big, Selfless & Simple?"

Now that is where it gets really juicy. Taking your primary color to create something "Big, Selfless and Simple" - well that is where it gets exciting. My mind is racing right now on what I can create that will satisfy these 3 requirements. I'm very excited to see what I will come up with! Not to mention what everyone else who reads this will come up with! I still am in awe of what Rick Smith came up with for himself. But you have to read it for yourself but boy oh boy -is it REMARKABLE!

To re-cap my biggest take-away is that those that are very successful are not reckless but either by need or default have discovered their natural gift/passion met the needs of the world/market in a way that was/is Big, Selfless & Simple. And the inspiring part is that that is a doable for everyone.

Buy this book and take the Leap you've been dying to take!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing January 5, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had very high hopes for this book, as I read and enjoyed The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, and recognized it as important work. There has been a movement in these kinds of books instead of focusing on 100 things, to focus on one or two, but have those two be the ones that make a difference. To a degree, that's what this book is, but by reducing the message down so low, it become trite and meaningless.

The message is essentially, do something you really care about, have your idea be simple to understand, and follow it passionately. (You can get this from reading the book flap, it's not exactly a spoiler.) But nor is it all that interesting. If there are people out there who are helped by being told that they should care about what they are doing, then perhaps this book is helpful. Unfortunately, I found nothing new to learn here.

That would make this book four-stars or so, as the book is fine, his examples are good and different enough that you can see the patterns, much like his first book. Unfortunately, the author places his own idea, creating a forum for Marketing professionals, alongside Running the Girl Scouts, Live Aid, and Running Unilever's global brands. Actually, he mentions his own idea as much as all of them combined. I'm sure his thing was wonderful, but I didn't really want to read a commercial for how great the author is, he should have really stuck to the truly great ideas of others.

The combination of bland (though helpful) advice, and his own self-commercialism made this book hard to get through. I'd recommend it only to someone very stuck in their position, and looking for examples of people who got out.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by Rick Smith
Big, Simple, Selfless is the main principle in this book to finding the idea for your next business venture and I think it makes sense. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Isaiah Schisler
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, inspiring and entertaining book about how to transform your life
A nice, inspiring book about the power of personal transformation. It includes a number of real-life stories about people who transformed their life - at the same time staying... Read more
Published 10 months ago by AVEROUS Jirimie
5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring stories.
I like the way Rick makes each story so real and personal. I felt like I was there in person-- getting a whiff of the dynamism and passion embodied in each individual story. Read more
Published on May 6, 2010 by Caroline Winnett
4.0 out of 5 stars Good resource
As someone with career issues, I came to this book hoping for that "eureka!" moment.

While I never got it with this book, I think it's a thoughtful, well-written book... Read more
Published on April 4, 2010 by Nox Helios
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than most in this genre
I've officially read too many of this type of book. 4HWW, Escape from Cube Nation, Career Renegade, etc, etc. Read more
Published on March 6, 2010 by EMM
5.0 out of 5 stars How being "average" isn't a detriment to pursuit and success of your...
I had heard about the book The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great by Rick Smith in a few of the productivity blogs and tweets that I follow on a... Read more
Published on February 18, 2010 by Thomas Duff
3.0 out of 5 stars Light read for the ex employee to relaunch his/her life
Rick Smith's book is a quick read for the person looking to restage their life and its personal and business posibilities. Read more
Published on January 30, 2010 by Eric Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Leap into a new career
There are tons of these books out there...how to find the career you want and love your life. Some are full of nonsense. This one makes sense. Read more
Published on January 15, 2010 by Elisa Robyn
4.0 out of 5 stars Baby Leaps
The title of the book is a bit misleading. Right from the get-go the author explains that a grand leap is not necessary to propel one's career. Read more
Published on December 31, 2009 by Nick McCormick
5.0 out of 5 stars Rick Smith's The Leap is a Must Read
As much as Rick Smith's book The Leap is about taking one's career from good to great it is just as much a book about taking one's life from good to great. Read more
Published on December 1, 2009 by Lawrence W. Doyle
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